


Soldier, Poet, King and Everything in Between

by Starlight1395



Category: VIXX
Genre: Fluff, Happy Ending, Implied/Referenced Character Death, M/M, Strangers to Lovers, based off all those Soldier Poet King tick tocks, hero Ken, other members mentioned briefly - Freeform, slight angst, superhero au, villain Ravi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-13
Updated: 2019-09-24
Packaged: 2020-08-20 11:10:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 18,636
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20226883
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Starlight1395/pseuds/Starlight1395
Summary: Ken was a hero of the people. Everyone loved him for how personable he was - he didn't treat anyone like they were below him. One day, Ken vanishes.Jaehwan, a writer and the identity behind Ken, runs away from the city to clear his head for an indefinite amount of time. What he wanted to find was a little peace, but what he ended up finding was a man with sleepy eyes and the ability to weave a story better than he could.Jaehwan falls in love with Wonshik a little too easily, which only makes it hurt more when he realizes who Wonshik really is.





	1. Chapter 1

“Thank you!” The woman sobbed as Ken handed her the infant in his arms. Ken grinned wide. He loved being able to help the citizens of the city, and he liked that he was different from most super heros. He didn’t have a stupid fancy name or a stupid fancy cape or a stupid fancy mask. He was just Ken, who just wore a mask over his mouth with different designs and a name that let him be closer to his neighbors. No Captain Whatever or Super Who Cares. He was just him. Just Ken.

“If you ever need anything again, call for me.” he said with a grin. Sure, she couldn’t see his mouth his eyes held enough happiness for the world to see.

“Thank you again.”

“Get home safe, okay?” Ken patted her gently on the arm before turning away. In a flash, he was gone.

He was one of the rare supers, one that had more than one power. Most only had teleportation, or flight, or future vision, but Ken had more that. He was fast - faster than a speeding bullet - and could see into the future to boot. He was able to save people from burning buildings in the blink of an eye and stop robbers before anyone could even realize they pulled out a gun. He could punch down a villain before they could even open their mouth to monologue about their dastardly plot.

Ken was a hero of the people. The people adored him, and he adored them.

But something wasn’t quite right. He didn’t know what it was, but something seemed off in his peaceful city. Sure, there were petty crimes here and there, and accidents happen daily, but other than that… everything seemed fine.

“Ravi…” Ken whispered, realizing what was different. The one villain who never stayed down - the self proclaimed dark prince himself - Ravi, hadn’t been seen in days. Ken was always first in line to stop the villain, with his comically cut hair that seemed to change every week and a deep voice that absolutely was an act.

The villain was an enigma to Ken. There was an unspoken rule that if a hero saw a villain in civilian clothing - or vice versa - they weren’t to do anything. At that point, they were normal pedestrians. Ken was pretty good at spotting the different villains out of costume, and he kept an eye on them while they ran errands. He understood that each villain had their own trauma that caused them to do the things they did, and he wasn’t one to judge someone’s past. He was just there to stop people from getting hurt. Ravi, on the other hand, managed to evade Ken’s watchful eye. It was as if the only time the villain existed was when he wanted Ken to see him.

Ken sighed as he pulled off his mask, locking his apartment door behind him. Ken became Jaehwan in an instant and he collapsed on the couch. He was always tired after using his powers. There was something about going fast that always caught back up with him eventually.

Jaehwan dragged himself from the couch, his whole body aching with the effort. He stumbled into the bathroom and flicked on the light, hoping a hot shower would fight off the pain long enough to take some painkillers and go to sleep.

He loved what he did. He loved helping people, but it was so exhausting. On top of being a hero, he had to work to pay rent as well. He managed to work from home, writing short stories for an online blog-type publication site. He submitted the short stories by chapter, and he needed to submit at least one chapter a week. Thankfully he managed to shit out several chapters a few weeks ago, so he had a bit of a break, but he was coming up on the end of his overage. The thought of having to get back into writing made his stomach churn. It wasn’t that he disliked writing - he loved it as much, if not more, than being a hero - but he was just so tired he thought he was going to cry.

His reflection stared back at him and Jaehwan wondered when he lost so much weight. He knew he needed to eat more, but he barely had any time. Especially recently - normally his main calorie intake came from the sugary coffees and pastries he would mindlessly eat as he wrote, his local cafes knowing his order by heart, but since he hadn’t been writing recently, he hadn’t been eating much.

It didn’t help that using his powers left him nauseous nine out of ten times.

He turned on the shower and stripped as the water warmed. He caught sight of his body in the small mirror and grimaced. He used to have a nice body, but now it was covered in scars. He had been slashed and burn and bruise and stabbed and shot - any kind of wound you could think of, he had received at some point during his time as a hero. The worst one wasn’t even from a fight - it came from a car accident several years before.

It was from his second year of being a hero. There was a deadly crash on a backroad. He managed to get there in time to save the little boy in the back seat, getting soaked in the dripping gasoline in the process. He was fast enough to throw the boy towards the parents on the grass, several hundred feet away from the car just in time for the gas to catch on fire. Ken was thrown back from the explosion, his sweatshirt catching and flaring up in seconds.

He was in the hospital for weeks. Thankfully the doctors were sworn to secrecy, so his identity wasn’t in danger, but his body was disfigured. The burn stretched from his ribs, up his chest and licked up his chin, leaving red painted across his jaw. That was the main reason he switched from an eye mask to a face mask. Eyes were recognizable, sure, but a scar like that would have given him away in an instant.

Jaehwan sighed, his eyes catching on the rest of the scars on his skin. He didn’t hate them, but he hated how they made other people see him. He couldn’t wear short sleeves out anymore, even as a civilian. Once, a cop pulled him aside and asked him carefully if he was in an abusive relationship. Jaehwan smiled softly and told the nice officer that no, he just had a fairly dangerous job. He could see the cop’s understanding, and he let Jaehwan go, but after that he only ever wore long sleeved shirts.

He shook his head and stepped into the shower, letting the steaming water hit his shoulders. God, he didn’t realize how tense he was until the warmth was soaking into his muscles.

It was only when the water started cooling off that Jaehwan turned the shower off and stepped out again. The hot water never lasted as long as he needed it to. He knew if he just… found a better apartment he could have nicer showers but his paycheck wasn’t quite enough. Plus, he was content the rest of the time. His neighbors were nice and his room had good air conditioning and his only needed to call the landlord about once a month to fix various issues around the apartment.

Jaehwan threw on a pair of boxers, not bothering to dry his hair completely before flopping down onto his bed. Thunder rumbled outside and he whimpered, even after the hot shower, the sudden storm made his scars ache. That was the part he hated the most - he could never enjoy storms without his body throbbing.

He whimpered again into his pillow, falling asleep within minutes.

Being a hero really drained you.

* * *

  
He took a breath and strengthened his resolve yet again. He had been toying with the idea of running away for years, but now he was finally doing it. Not forever - no, he loved his city too much. He was just… taking a vacation. He packed his laptop, his notebook and a backpack worth of clothing and headed to the bus station.

No one looked at him for too long. He knew why. They would make eye contact, then their gaze would go down. Their eyes would widen when they saw the scar on his jaw and then quickly look away. It used to make him self conscious, but Jaehwan quickly learned it was helpful. He didn’t really like small talk that much.

“Would you want a return ticket?” The young woman at the desk asked. Jaehwan thought for a second before shaking his head.

“No, I’m not entirely sure when returning just yet.” He smiled kindly at her and he saw her cheeks warm a little.

“Ah, I see,” She looked away with a small smile. “I’ll just… print your ticket now.”

“Thank you so much.” He winked and her blush doubled. He looked around the bus station as he waited for the ticket to print, taking in the people around him. He saw some familiar faces - people he’s helped in the past, off duty officers reading newspapers, even a villain that he had stopped a handful of times feeding the birds that got stuck inside the building.

“Here you are sir,” The young woman came back, a ticket and a pamphlet in hand. She smiled at him as she handed them over. “When you’re ready to return, this pamphlet can help you book a ticket from your phone so you don’t have to wait again. If you have any issues, my number is- is on the bottom there.” She blushed and looked away shyly.

“Thank you so much,” He took the pamphlet with a shining grin. “I’ll be sure to call if I run into any trouble.”

“H-have a nice day.” She squeaked before leaving the window and going farther back into her office. Jaehwan smiled to himself before going to wait by his bus terminal. It made his chest light to know that even disfigured, people still found him attractive. Not many, it seemed, but at least the bus girl thought he was cute. Too bad he wasn’t into girls, he thought with a silent chuckle.

“Bus number 315 now boarding!” A driver called. Jaehwan checked his ticket and stood, gathering his belongings and going to wait in line. He wouldn’t be gone too long, he reasoned with himself. The city was able to function for years before he was even born. He could disappear for a few days and return with everything still intact. The city wouldn’t implode without him there.

He sat in the plush seat and put in his headphones before the bus even finished loading. His ticket destination was technically the last stop on the route, but if he got off somewhere else no one would notice. The bus filled and the door closed, and Jaehwan watched the city he loved so much get smaller and smaller in the distance as he went towards who knows what.

Before long, he started to drift off to sleep. He had several hours before they made it to the last stop, so he had time to rest. His eyes slid shut as the music changed. Soft notes filled the earbuds as he rested his head against the window.

“Wha-?” Jaehwan suddenly blinked awake. He checked his phone and realized he had only been asleep for about twenty minutes. What woke up him then? He noticed the bus was stopped and only a handful of people were getting off. He settled back into his seat just as the driver did last calls for the stop. Just as the driver was about to close the door, Jaehwan shot up in his seat. He quickly apologized as he rushed off the bus, feeling bad at the nasty looks given to him by the other bus goers for delaying the trip more, but he needed to get off at this stop.

Just as they were about to pull away, Jaehwan had a vision - one that seemed… off somehow. He saw Ravi, who had been suspiciously quiet recently, but he was different. He was smiling and laughing and seemed… happy.

But Jaehwan knew where a villain was present, bad things were going to happen.

He shouldered his bag and stepped out of the bus station, only to stop in shock. Even though he was only twenty minutes from the city, the town in front of him was like nothing he had seen before. He had been born and raised in the city, so seeing how small this town surprised him.

He could tell he was in the downtown area, but the only shops they had were a grocery store, a handful of smaller stores that sold clothing, jewellery and food, a small pharmacy and a gazebo smack dab in the middle of a large lawn. In the distance Jaehwan could see some houses, with white fences and nicely trimmed grass.

The first thought that went through his head was how cute everything was. The second thought was that finding a hotel for the next few nights might be harder than he anticipated. When he boarded the bus, he expected to end up in another city to it never dawned on him that finding lodging would pose a challenge. He sighed and hiked his bag back up again.

A look around town couldn’t hurt, right? Jaehwan stopped in the stores and looked around, making a mental note to stop by again and buy the pretty blue scarf he saw in the one. He bought a sandwich at the deli and went to sit in the lawn. It was a nice day out, and even though he had no idea what he was going to do in this town, he wanted to enjoy the first day of his runaway-vacation.

He set his jacket on the ground and sat on it, setting his sandwich off to the side and digging his journal from his bag.

His journal was his life. He brought it everywhere with him. He had gone through several already, the worn leather cover scuffed and nicked from all the times he shoved it in his bag or tossed it onto his table. All of his stories were written in it, or at least the brainstorming for all his stories.

Flipping open to the page with the bookmark, he grabbed his pencil and started to jot down ideas for a new one. He had finished his last short story, and had a few ideas for his next one, but none of them were fleshed out enough to start writing.

He picked one that wouldn’t draw on too long and started plotting, writing down bullet points for what he wanted to happen. This was always the most interesting part, because this was where he laid down the foundation.

An hour passed of Jaehwan mindlessly eating his lunch and writing in his journal. He took some time to sketch out his characters as well. His drawing skills were nothing compared to his writing skills, so in reality the sketches looked like they were done by a child, but it was enough to help Jaehwan keep their appearances consistent.

He crumpled his trash and stood, cracking his back loudly. He grabbed his jacket and journal, looking around to find a trashcan when he heard something odd. Around the gazebo was a crowd of children, their parents lounging on the grass a little farther away. They were silent, which was the most unsettling part of it all. Jaehwan had never come across a child that could be absolutely quiet, but when he saw what they were watching he understood.

There was a man in the gazebo, using it like stage. He grinned down at the kids as he spoke. Jaehwan could see the wonder in the children’s eyes as the man talked. He looked to be about the same height as Jaehwan, but with soft brown hair that fell into sleepy looking eyes that seemed to glow with excitement.

“And there he was!” The man grinned, pointing off into the distance. Some of the kids turned to look, but most continued to watch him. “The hero himself! He held his sword over his head and called down to the enemy, ‘You will never defeat us,’ he shouted to them, ‘for we have the blessing of the gods on our side! They fight alongside us!’ The enemy army scorned the hero, scoffing and mocking him. ‘The gods?’ they laughed, ‘Aren’t you too old for fairy tales?’ The hero paused before laughing back. ‘Fairy tales? Think again friend.’ and the hero’s friends stepped up next to him. They were shining, dressed in the finest armor. The enemy army gasped, for there before them truly were the gods of old. Men and women alike, standing ready for battle.”

“What happened next?” A boy in the front yard shouted, causing the man to grin. Jaehwan felt his breath catch. The man’s smile was gorgeous.

“The hero raised his sword,” He said, raising his own arm as if he was the hero himself. The crowd gasped. “He shouted CHARGE and his army raced down the hill towards the enemy army. They didn’t stand a chance! The battle was over in the blink of an eye, and the hero stood victorious over the enemy. ‘You saved your country,’ one of the gods told the hero. ‘You care kind and just, and will do many great things.’ The hero smiled gently but shook his head. ‘I am not a god, like you,’ he said as he sheathed his sword. ‘I do not do great things on my own. I only do what I can to make life better for others.’ The god smiled at him, and placed a hand on his cheek. There was a FLASH! And suddenly all the aches and pains in his body vanished. When the hero opened his eyes again, the gods were gone. He smiled again and turned to his friends. They helped the injured and returned home victorious.”

Jaehwan smiled as he watched the children explode. As a writer himself, he could absolutely appreciate a story teller with the amount of talent that the man did. The parents of the children started coming up to collect their kids, thanking the man for his story and asking when he would be back.

“I’ll be back here tomorrow at the same time,” he said softly, his eyes looking at the children with a mix of joy and affection. Jaehwan could tell he really cared about the kids in his town. “Will you be able to make it?”

“Oh of course,” the woman laughed and picked her son up, resting him on her hip. “If we missed, he’d never let me live it down.”

“I’ll look forward to it then,” He laughed before saying goodbye to the boy with a gentle smile. Jaehwan watched from a short distance, clutching his journal in his arms. Just as he was about to turn away, the man looked over at him. Their eyes locked and the man offered him a smile. “Usually my audience is more in the… five year old range, but I welcome all listeners.”

“You caught me,” Jaehwan laughed, looking down. His ears burned a little. “I couldn’t help myself though. You’re an amazing story teller.”

“Thank you,” His grin widened, his sleepy eyes turning up. “That means a lot coming from someone as handsome as you.”

“H-handome…” Jaehwan’s voice cracked, his entire face lighting up bright red. He looked away, hating how his face looked when he blushed. The red made his scar stand out even more.

“Ah, hold on,” The man turned away quickly. “I have to get Butt.”

“But what?” Jaehwan started to ask but the man was already sprinting back to the gazebo. Within seconds he was walking back with long strides, a small dog tucked in his arms. It had been a long time since Jaehwan had seen a cream frenchie. They weren’t exactly common in that area - people tended to go more for the yorkie/pomeranian type dogs, much to Jaehwan’s annoyance.

“This is Butt,” The man smiled down at the dog once he was finally completely in front of Jaehwan. He noticed the man was a little taller than him, which was definitely something to notice seeing how tall he already was. “He goes everywhere with me.”

“He’s adorable.” Jaehwan reached out for the dog to smell his hand. He took it as a good sign when he wasn’t bitten, so he gave the pup a small pat on the head. Butt’s tongue lolled out as he closed his eyes, and it almost looked like he was smiling.

“And I’m Wonshik, by the way.”

“Jaehwan.”

“Don’t think I’ve ever seen you in town before. Visiting someone?”

“Ah, not really,” Jaehwan shrugged a little. “I needed to get away from everything for a while. I was going to ride the bus to the last stop and see where it took be but… something told me to get off here.”

“Where are you from?” Wonshik asked as he put Butt down. He made sure to have a grip on the leash before letting the dog lead the way. Jaehwan followed them, enjoying the leisurely stroll through the park.

“From the city,” Jaehwan chuckled a little. “I’m a writer, but I was getting… I felt stuck there, so I ran away for a little bit. Thankfully I work from home and don’t have any friends, so no one will really notice I’m gone.”

“That can’t be true.” Wonshik glanced at Jaehwan from the corner of his eye. “Someone like you? With no friends? I don’t believe it.”

“What makes you say that?” He laughed again. He honestly couldn’t remember the last time a conversation felt so natural.

“You’re way too personable,” Wonshik shrugged a little, his ears turning red. “I’m not… I don’t really talk to strangers all that much. I’d rather talk to kids, because they’re so open and understanding. Adults can be… critical. You, on the other hand…” Jaehwan risked a glance at the taller man and felt his cheeks warm at the look he was receiving in turn. “You caught my attention instantly. It was like I was drawn to you.”

“That’s so greasy,” Jaehwan laughed, his chest fluttering a little. “I bet you get all the ladies like that.”

“Surprisingly, it works better on guys than girls,” He at least had the decency to look embarrassed. “Which works in my favor seeing how I like guys more than girls.”

Jaehwan could feel the tension radiating off Wonshik. He stopped walking and looked at the other man fully. He could see the sudden worry in Wonshik’s eyes when he suddenly stopped.

“Good for me too, it seems,” Jaehwan couldn’t help but giggle a little. “Seeing how I also… play for the other team.”

“Oh thank god,” Wonshik let out a huge breath, causing Butt to jump ad Jaehwan to laugh louder. “You have no idea how many guys I’ve hit on ended up being straight.”

“Does any part of me say straight to you?” Jaehwan laughed, his eyes turning up as he smiled. Wonshik returned the smile and shook his head.

“Nah, you’re pretty gay.” he said, turning his back to Jaehwan and stretching his arms above his head.

“Hey! Say that to my face you coward!” Jaehwan whined, not noticing how pale Wonshik suddenly looked.

“What did you say you were in town for?” he asked, not turning around.

“I needed a change of scenery,” Jaehwan looked around the quaint park with a small smile. It was like nothing he had really seen before. “It’s gorgeous here.”

“What sort of work do you do, Mr. Handsome?” Wonshik asked.

“I’m a writer,” He tucked his journal back in his backpack as he walked, easily keeping up with the taller man. “I write short stories for an online blog. I’m about to start a new one, but needed a change of scenery.”

“I get that,” Wonshik breathed softly. “Sometimes it can get a little claustrophobic, even in a big city.”

“Exactly,” Jaehwan had never met someone who instantly understood him before. Usually when he tried to express his feeling of being… trapped, people would scoff. The city is so big, they would say. If you feel trapped, go a few blocks down to the park. “It’s suffocating sometimes. There’s this… pressure and I never feel like I live up to what people want me to be and I want to just… give up, but I can’t because people depend on me.”

“It’s even worse when you have to do things that aren’t necessarily good in order to provide for those people that depend on you.” Wonshik’s voice was almost inaudible, and Jaehwan wasn’t entirely sure he heard right.

“I-”

“You said you came here on a whim,” Wonshik cut him off abruptly. “Which probably means you don’t have a place to stay, right?”

“Um, no I don’t,” Jaehwan coughed awkwardly. “I was hoping to find a… hotel or an Air BnB or something.”

“I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but you want anything like that you’re going to have to go to the next town over,” Wonshik’s grin widened as Jaehwan deflated. “Though I guess it’s your lucky day. I just happened to have the spare room in my house redone recently, so if you wanted to stay with me, you have a bed already made.”

“I- you’d let me stay with you?” Jaehwan was floored. “But… but you don’t even know me-”

“I can tell just from this conversation that you’re a good person,” Wonshik continued to walk down the well kept path. “And what kind of person would I be if I left someone to fend for themselves? I’d have to be a villain.”

“You? A villain?” Jaehwan couldn’t help but laugh. “No way.”

“You’d be surprised.”

“Sure, and I’m a five foot german girl with pigtails.” Jaehwan pulled a face and Wonshik couldn’t stop the choked laughed that jumped from his mouth.

“Cute and funny? I think I hit the jackpot.” The taller man’s lopsided grin just aided in Jaehwan’s blush growing brighter.

“Shut up…” Jaehwan muttered with no fire behind his words. He held onto the straps of his backpack like a shy schoolgirl.

“I don’t live too far,” Wonshik’s smile softened. “It’s just down the street.”

“Sound good.”

“So you’re okay with staying with me?” Wonshik raised an eyebrow and for the first time Jaehwan took note of how well manicured they were.

“I mean, I’d rather stay with you than try to test my luck in the next town,” Jaehwan tried to play it cool, but Wonshik could tell he was flustered. “Besides… I’d love to hear another story, if you’d humor me.”

“I think I could handle that.” Wonshik nodded, his eyes turning up with his smile.

“Lead the way then!” Jaehwan held out his hand. He mainly meant it as a joke, but he didn’t try to pull away when Wonshik’s larger hand laced through his fingers. Both men blushed, but neither commented on it as they walked down the street.

Jaehwan was amazed. It seemed like everyone in town knew Wonshik. Every ten feet he was stopped by someone to say hello, or would removed his hand from Jaehwan’s to help someone carry something before going back to the other man’s side and taking his hand once more.

“You’re pretty popular.” Jaehwan remarked, after the fourth time they had been stopped. Wonshik chuckled and rubbed the back of the head with the hand that was holding Butt’s leash. Jaehwan thought he was cute when he blushed. He looked like a puppy.

“I do a lot in the community,” He said, almost shyly. “There are a lot of low income families in the area, so I do what I can to make their lives a little easier.”

“That’s amazing…” Jaehwan looked at Wonshik with wide eyes.

“The whole story telling thing started because the daycare in town closed down,” Wonshik’s smile faded a little. “The parents didn’t have anywhere for their kids to go after school, so I started putting on shows in the park to occupy them. The parents that can watch over the kids come and volunteer to make sure no one gets hurt or goes missing. They’ve tried paying me, but I don’t need their money, you know? I do it because I can.”

“You’re like a hero,” Jaehwan said without thinking. “A hero without powers… didn’t think that was really a thing anymore.”

“How do you know I don’t have powers?” Wonshik teased lightly as they turned the corner to a road lined with small, well kept homes. “I could have a thousand powers for all you know!”

“Like what?” Jaehwan teased back. He tripped on the uneven pavement, clutching onto Wonshik’s arm a little tighter to keep his balance. The taller man easily held him up, and they gave each other a shy smile before turning away. Jaehwan didn’t let go of Wonshik’s arm.

“I want to hear your ideas first.” he nudged Jaehwan with his elbow.

“I dunno, the power of seduction maybe?” he said, pretending to be serious for a moment before the sound of the taller man’s barking laughter made him break character. “Or the power to hypnotize… I was pretty enchanted earlier.”

“I can’t say I have either of those powers,” Wonshik said through his laughs. “But I’m flattered that you think I could.”

“You absolutely could,” Jaehwan held onto Wonshik’s arm a little tighter. “Hypnotize me all you want, I won’t complain.”

He winked and sent Wonshik a flirtatious look, which made the taller man’s cheeks light up. Wonshik grinned and pulled Jaehwan into his side, his arm easily wrapping around the writer’s waist, as if it was meant to rest there.

They walked in silence, Jaehwan gently bumping into Wonshik as they went. Wonshik pretended not to notice, but Jaehwan could see the taller man glancing at him and smirking each time he did it.

“Ah, we’re here.” Wonshik said, leading Jaehwan up a small pathway to the front door of a small home. Jaehwan’s eyes sparkled as he took in the house. As someone who lived in a city, he never even humored the idea of owning a home, so seeing Wonshik’s house was something akin to magic to Jaehwan.

The front was colorful, if not a little messy compared to the neighboring homes. The front garden had a menagerie of plants of all shapes and colors and heights. They were slightly overgrown, but Jaehwan could see there were no weeds which mean Wonshik took care of the garden but didn’t want to trim the plants themselves. The lawn was tidy, but would be needing a mowing in the next week or so. There were even a few knick knacks tucked in the plants - the first one Jaehwan noticed was a little gnome peeking out behind a large orange flower.

Wonshik opened the door and Jaehwan’s eyes widened more. The house itself was… perfect. There were pictures hanging on the walls and every surface had something on it - papers and books and little statues and what looked like art done by children. They shuffled into the kitchen, where Wonshik knelt to undo Butt’s leash. The dog didn’t move as his owner started to pour kibble into a bowl, just sitting on the kitchen floor with his tongue sticking out and his eyes looking in two different directions.

The kitchen was a bit of a mess, but it made Jaehwan’s chest flutter. There were dishes in the sink and the fridge was covered in notes and pictures and colorful magnets. The appliances were mismatched and the chairs at the table were obviously from different sets. Even the dish towels were different patterns and in different states of distress.

The house was so lived in and it made Jaehwan long for… something. He didn’t know what, but his chest ached painfully.

“Here, I’ll show you to the guest room and let you settle in,” Wonshik said as he straightened from giving Butt his bowl. Jaehwan smiled a little when he heard the taller man’s knees crack loudly. His knees did the same thing. “You hungry? It’s almost dinner time, and even though I have very minimal cooking skills, I can attempt to make something.”

“Yeah, I could eat.” Jaehwan’s ears burned. When was the last time someone cooked for him? He couldn’t remember.

“Perfect,” Wonshik’s smile was blinding. “Here, this is the guest room. The bathroom is directly across and my room is at the end. I know it’s not a big house but it’s home.” he chuckled a little and Jaehwan placed a gentle hand on his arm.

“I love it,” He smiled softly. “It’s so alive. It’s… beautiful.”

“It’s a mess, but thank you,” Wonshik blushed again. “I guess a writer is good at weaving compliments.”

“I can weave a couple more if you want.” Jaehwan winked again, liking how flustered he could make the taller man with just a few words.

“I- um, food,” Wonshik pointed back towards the kitchen, looking anywhere but at Jaehwan’s smirk. “Come on out when you’re ready.”

“Will do.” Jaehwan let Wonshik scramble out, the cat-like smile never dropping from his face. He turned to look at the room and his smile softened.

It wasn’t super decorated, but Jaehwan could see touches of Wonshik there and there - the framed movie poster on the wall, the duvet that didn’t match anything else in the room, the dresser that had three different types of knobs.

Overall? It was perfect.

Jaehwan didn’t have a whole lot to unpack. He didn’t know how long he would be gone, and figured packing light would be best. It only took him five minutes to unpack his things, and the entire time he wondered why he was even bothering to unpack. He was more of a live-out-of-the-suitcase-for-two-weeks-after-the-trip kind of person. He never unpacked, but a small part of him wanted to feel like he lived there, he guessed.

Growing up, his house had always felt cold. His parents were strict and meticulous - the house was spotless and modern looking. It was always so, so cold. Jaehwan’s room was the only spot in the entire house that had any personality, and even then his parents would try to pressure him into making it more uniform. The day Jaehwan moved out of the house was the the day he promised himself he would never be like his parents.

He sat on the edge of the bed and let his situation sink in. He ran away from the city, leaving behind his apartment and his hero persona without a word to anyone. He got on a random but and got off at a random stop. He lowkey fell in love with the storyteller in the park and is now staying at said storyteller’s house for the extent of his who-know-how-long vacation in a town he doesn’t know.

“What have I gotten myself into?” He mumbled, resting his face in his hands. His head was starting to hurt, but he ignored it. He could choose to accept or decline his visions - the latter took the largest toll on him. He repressed the images and it caused a pressure to swell behind his eyes but he didn’t care. He didn’t want to see what was going to happen. For once, he wanted to be normal.

The sound of pots clattering together in the kitchen knocked Jaehwan out of his thoughts. He could hear Wonshik talking to Butt as he cooked, and a small smile made its way onto his face.

Jaehwan stood from the bed and went to the kitchen. He crossed his arms and leaned against the door frame and watched Wonshik work for a moment, taking in the sight of the taller man arguing with his dog over how much salt he should put in the pot for ramen with a smile.

“Need a hand?” he asked, letting Wonshik know he was there. The taller man turned to him and grinned as if it was the most natural thing in the world.

“Could you grab two eggs from the fridge?” he asked, putting the pot on the stove. “Hope you like ramen, cuz that’s all I really have right now. We can go grocery shopping tomorrow.”

“Yeah, ramen sounds amazing.” Jaehwan didn’t show how Wonshik’s words affected him, but hearing the other man say ‘we’ so casually made his heart skip a beat. It was all so… domestic. So normal. So… perfect.

“You want veggies?”

“Sure, I’m not picky.” Jaehwan squat down, groaning a little as his body cracked. Wonshik chuckled as he glanced over and saw Jaehwan petting Butt with a content smile.

“At least one of you are,” he laughed, pulling a knife from the wooden block and putting it on the cutting board. “Butt is so picky, it took almost two months before he would actually eat properly because he didn’t like any of the foods I gave him.”

“That’s not true, right Butt?” Jaehwan cupped the dog’s face and kissed his forehead loudly. “You’re an angel. Wonshikie is just a big old meanie.”

“Sure, I’m the bad guy,” Wonshik laughed, pulling various vegetables from the fridge and closing the door with his hip. “How old are you anyway? I don’t think I ever asked.”

“Oh, I’m twenty seven,” he said as he stood, groaning again as his joints protested. “You wouldn’t think it, seeing how loud my knees are, but I swear I’m only twenty seven.”

“Well shit,” Wonshik huffed. “I’m twenty six.”

“Ha! I’m older!” Jaehwan puffed up his chest like a peacock and grinned at Wonshik, who watched him strut around the kitchen with a gentle smile.

“Guess I should call you hyung then, shouldn’t I?” He said, turning back to the cutting board. Jaehwan’s chest instantly deflated as his face blazed red. He cupped his own cheeks, hoping the coolness of his fingers would calm the heat radiating from his face. Who did Wonshik think he was, throwing that out there so casually-

Just then, time seemed to slow. Wonshik slipped, the knife falling right towards his foot. Jaehwan didn’t think. He flashed forward and pulled Wonshik back in the blink of an eye. The taller man was on the other side of the kitchen before the blade even touched the worn tiles of the floor.

Wonshik blinked, trying to comprehend what just happened. He turned to Jaehwan, who was looking a little green, then to the knife on the floor where he had just been standing, all the way on the other side of the room.

“Jaehwan…”

“I can explain!” Jaehwan rushed out, panicked. He didn’t want to admit it, but Wonshik hating him for having powers was all he could imagine in that moment. How many times have people turned their backs on him for his powers? How many times has he been cut from sports teams due to his ‘advantage’ or disqualified from competitions for his ability to ‘cheat and look into the future’? “I- I-”

“Thank you,” Wonshik said with a smile. “You saved my foot from a painful trip to the first aid kit.”

“Wonshik-”

“Come on, the water is starting to boil,” The taller man walked away, leaving a swaying Jaehwan by the table. “The sooner we eat the sooner we can sleep and I don’t know about you but I’m exhausted.”

“R-right.” Jaehwan moved carefully, his head foggy from using his power. He wasn’t sure what just happened. Wonshik didn’t seem to care about his powers. So why, then, did the younger man look so terrified for a moment?

Wonshik was hiding something, and Jaehwan wasn’t sure if he wanted to know.


	2. Chapter 2

Jaehwan cracked his eyes open and breathed deeply, inhaling the unfamiliar scent of the room he woke up in. It took him a moment to realize why he wasn’t in his own bed, with his own sheets tangles around his feet. He listened, the soft sounds of life coming from another room. He could hear Wonshik talking, presumably to Butt, but he couldn’t make out what the younger man was saying.

He was conflicted, and he hated that he was. Wonshik seemed fine with the fact that he had powers, not bringing up how Jaehwan had saved him in a flash even once during dinner. Maybe Wonshik had powers too?

Jaehwan rolled over and buried his face in the pillow and took a deep breath. Even though the scent was unfamiliar, it was comforting.

“Jaehwan?” A knock came from the door.

“Morning.” Jaehwan called back, instantly cringed. He normally wasn’t so awkward… what was Wonshik doing to him?

“You want some coffee?” Wonshik asked, not opening the door.

“Um, sure,” He stood and stretched, messily throwing the cover back in what could be a bastardized version of making the bed - if he squinted really hard - before calmly stepping out of the bedroom. Wonshik had already gone back to the kitchen, and the smell of brewing coffee filled the small house. “Morning Butt.” he grinned and crouched to scratch behind the dog’s ear. Butt huffed happily and leaned against Jaehwan’s leg.

“You’ve gotten my dog to fall in love with you already? You really do work fast.” Wonshik laughed as he handed Jaehwan the mug of black coffee. “Milk is in the fridge and sugar is in the little Butt shaped container on the counter.”

“Perfect,” Jaehwan hummed as he poured a liberal amount of sugar into the dark liquid. It was only after he had a sip or two that he blinked and spun to look at Wonshik. “Wait what do you mean I work fast?”

“I mean, you got me to fall for you already,” Wonshik said casually, putting the milk back into the fridge. His back was too Jaehwan, but his ears were bright red. “And now you’ve gotten my dog to love you. You might as well move in.”

“Don’t tempt me,” Jaehwan laughed, trying to push down the blush covering his entire face. “It’s so perfect here. I might never leave.”  
“Wouldn’t you miss the city?”

“Maybe a little, but in the one day I’ve been away I feel like I can breathe again,” Jaehwan leaned against the counter with the mug between both hands and closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. “It’s like a weight has been lifted from my shoulders and it- it scares me a little because I used to think I was content. I thought I was happy with the way my life was going. I have a decent apartment and a rewarding job and I thought I was happy but now… now I’m scared to go back because I’m scared I won’t be happy anymore. I won’t feel content anymore. I’m scared that every day I’ll wake up and I’ll feel suffocated-”

“Hey, it’s alright,” Wonshik cut of his rambling. He reached over and wiped the one tear that managed to escape down Jaehwan’s cheek in his panic. “Even if you end up feeling suffocated sometimes, you can always escape here again. I won’t be getting rid of my spare room any time soon.”

“Thank you…” Jaehwan pouted, wiping his eyes to fight off another wave of tears. He knew he shouldn’t trust Wonshik so much. They had only met the day before, but in that one day, Jaehwan has felt more freedom than in all the years he was in the city. Conversations with Wonshik flowed so easily, and cooking together was like a choreographed dance - they never bumped into each other, working in time to a song neither could hear.

“What about some breakfast? Then we can go shopping,” Wonshik suggested with a soft smile. “I have something to do tomorrow, but I can show you around town a little more today. There’s a nice cafe by the park if you wanted to do some writing while I’m out.”

“That sounds perfect.” Jaehwan sniffed and smiled back.

“Perfect, you like eggs? Cuz that’s basically all I have left in the fridge.”

“Love them.” Jaehwan chuckled, his chest lightening. He might not know who Wonshik really was - he might not know what Wonshik was hiding - but he was Jaehwan’s personal hero. He might not know, and honestly he was content.

He had a gut feeling that finding out would change everything, and he was quite happy with the lie he was building in this small town.

“The corner store has been owned by the same family since the town was founded,” Wonshik said, pointing to some of the more historical looking buildings in the town center. It was one of the few that was entirely made of wood, from the porch to the shingles, but was in surprisingly good condition. “We had a big one hundred and fifty anniversery celebration… three years ago? The town threw a big block party to celebrate the founding of our home.”

“That’s so cute.” Jaehwan was surprised at how many small celebrations the town seemed to have. A summer festival at the church, complete with rides and funnel cake. A fall bonfire, where everyone gathers in one of the newly harvested fields and they have music and hot apple cider and halloween games for the kids. A spring celebration, with food trucks and craft vendors.

“We might not have a lot of money, or land, but what we lack we make up for in spirit.” Wonshik laughed, lacing his fingers through Jaehwan’s as they walked.

“What’s that?” Jaehwan pointed to an old building, almost completely taken over by nature - vines and plants growing through it, and what looked like the start of trees poking through the porch.

“Ah, we have a few houses like that,” Wonshik’s voice dropped. “The woman that lived there was a widow… when she passed away, no one realized until one of her neighbors noticed her mail was piling up. This happened… almost ten years ago. She had some extended family come to clear out her belonging, but the house has been abandoned since.”

“Oh…”

“We have a few abandoned buildings,” Wonshik continued with a sigh. “A lot of houses that were foreclosed on, businesses that went bankrupt… a lot of the historical houses in the older part of town are falling apart too. I wish we had the budget to fix them up, because a lot of them are from the original settlement of our town, but we just can’t. Half the time we can barely keep ourselves afloat anymore.”

“That’s awful…”

“The worst part is that we aren’t lazy, like everyone seems to think we are,” Wonshik’s voice gained a sharp edge to it. “When we try to get grants or loans or support, all they see are the poverty rates and the lack of funding. They don’t see parents working two jobs to support their kids and families sacrificing everything to keep their grandparent’s businesses running… I do what I can, but there’s only so much you can do for a town the world has given up on.”

Jaehwan didn’t know what to say. Wonshik sounded close to tears, but there was nothing he could do. He didn’t have the funds to anonymously donate money, nor the skills to volunteer. All he could do was hold Wonshik’s hand a little tighter as they walked towards the grocery store.

By the time they were walking through the double doors, Wonshik seemed back to his normal happy self, but his story still weighed heavily on Jaehwan.

“Anything in particular you want?” Wonshik asked, grabbing a cart.

“Not that I can think of. I’m more of an instant ramen and take out kind of guy,” Jaehwan shrugged, almost embarrassed. “I never really had the time or motivation to cook for myself all that often.”

“That’s fair,” Wonshik squinted, looking at the prices on the shelf, trying to do mental math to figure out which was a better deal. “Working two jobs must be exhausting.”

“It’s not too bad-” Jaehwan stopped himself, his blood running cold. He never told Wonshik that he had two jobs. Not everyone with powers was a hero - only maybe 1 in 100 went into law enforcement. Wonshik didn’t seem to notice Jaehwan freeze - or if he did, he didn’t comment on it.

Did… did Wonshik know who he was? Jaehwan didn’t know why the thought scared him so badly. He was a hero, and he trustest Wonshik. The younger man finding out about him wouldn’t be the end of the world. It wasn’t like he was a villain or anything. Right?

“I was thinking stir fry for dinner tonight,” Wonshik threw some things into the cart as Jaehwan tried to shake himself from his thoughts. He just nodded, his heart still racing at the idea of Wonshik knowing he was Ken. “Are you allergic to anything?”

“Not that I know of.”

“Cool, I’ll get a variety then.” Wonshik hummed happily as Jaehwan pushed the cart, throwing things in every few feet. Jaehwan was a little surprised at how full the cart was getting, but he glanced at Wonshik and guess it took a healthy diet for someone to be that fit and handsome.

Jaehwan found himself sneaking glances at Wonshik as they shopped, taking in little details about the other man. The scar under his right eyebrow, how his nose was the smallest, tiniest bit crooked, which told Jaehwan it had been broken once,long ago. He noticed small habits of the other as well, like how Wonshik would squint his eyes when he was concentrating or how he would dance a little to whatever song was playing when he was paying attention to his own actions.

He thought it was adorable.

“You’re staring.” Wonshik said through a laugh, making Jaehwan blush.

“What?” he said, as if that would cover up the fact that he was absolutely staring. Wonshik chuckled and smiled at the elder.

“I didn’t say it was a bad thing,” He winked at Jaehwan, but it was soft somehow - not greasy, or cheesy like when Jaehwan would wink. It made the older man’s chest flutter.

“Do you like strawberries?”

“Yeah, though I don’t have them often.” Jaehwan chuckled a little, remembering how he would only ever have strawberries for his birthday, in his favorite strawberry shortcake that the staff would make for him every year. It was the only time his parents ever really treated him like a son.

“Perfect, they’re in season now so they’re extra sweet.” Wonshik tossed a pack in the cart and kept walking. Maybe if they were from Wonshik, Jaehwan would be able to taste the fruit without having flashbacks to his childhood.

Maybe Wonshik could override other bad memories too.

* * *

  
Jaehwan stared at his computer screen, watching his own reflection glare back at him from the blank document that was open, curser blinking and mocking the writer. He had been sitting in the cafe that Wonshik had showed him for twenty minutes, and he hadn’t even managed to write a single word.

Well, that was a little bit of a lie, he supposed. He wrote a few words - nine, to be exact - but erased them all because none of them opened his story the way it should have. He always treated the first sentence of his stories as the most precious part - if the first sentence wasn’t enough to hook the reader and show the flavor of the story, it wasn’t going to be a good story at all.

He sighed. Again.

The curser continued to blink as he frowned harder. Writing had never been this hard for him, even when he was in a slump. It wasn’t his fault though - every time he tried to focus, all he could think of was sleepy eyes and warm smiles and a deep chuckle that vibrated through his chest. How Wonshik managed to worm his way into Jaehwan’s every thought, the older man wasn’t sure. What he was sure of, however, was that he was going to miss this when he finally went back to the city.

He would miss the quiet town and the sense of community everyone seemed to share. He was going to miss the little grocery store that sold fresh crops from local farms and the park where the kids played. Most of all, though, he was going to miss Wonshik. Miss the younger man’s was of telling bad jokes and how his eyes lit up when he laughed and how his hand was somehow larger than Jaehwan’s and how he made Jaehwan feel safe, even though they had only known each other for… three days.

He sipped his drink and checked his phone, scrolling aimlessly though the notifications, knowing he wasn’t going to be able to focus on writing anymore. At least, not right that moment. Maybe if he waited a little longer, the creativity would start flowing and he’d crank out a masterpiece of a chapter in a single sitting.

Or not. He sighed and decided to just play a game on his phone for a little while. Wonshik said he wouldn’t be home for a while, so Jaehwan was free to come and go as he pleased - just as long as Butt got fed around three. He even gave Jaehwan the spare key so he could get in.

Just as he was switching through apps, he got a notification from the news app he used. Curious, he tapped it. Normally he ignored the notifications, but something told him he needed to see what was happening.

His stomach dropped. Ravi had been spotted in the city again, robbing a truck carrying medical supplies to the hospital. His first instinct was to jump up and race to stop the villain, but he couldn’t. He was a twenty minute bus ride away from the city. By the time he got there, Ravi would be long gone. Even if he used his super speed, it would still take a few minutes and if the news was already reporting on it, Ravi would be long gone.

He never should have left. His stomach soured when he realized how selfish he had been for leaving in the first place. He didn’t have the right to leave the citizens that relied on him behind, to fend for themselves against evil and cruelty.

He closed his laptop. He wasn’t going to be able to get any more work done. Not now that he couldn’t tell if he wanted to throw up or cry. He failed everyone for being selfish.

He had run away from his responsibilities and now the hospital wasn’t going to have the supplies they needed to help people.

He never stopped to ask himself why Ravi would need medical equipment. He packed up his things and sped back to Wonshik’s house, letting himself in and laying on the living room floor. Butt came up to him and cusiourly licked his face, snuffling and nudgung the man’s face to get his attention.

“Oh Butt, did I do the wrong thing?” He asked, his eyes stinging. “This is the happiest I’ve ever been, but I wasn’t there when people needed me… am I a disappointment?”  
Butt didn’t answer, though Jaehwan would have more than just the Ravi problem to deal with if the dog was suddenly able to speak. He just huffed and licked Jaehwan’s cheek before curling up next to the man and falling asleep.

“Being a dog would be amazing,” Jaehwan yawned, not wanting to move and wake the sleeping pup. “You don’t have to worry about anything. You eat all you want and sleep all you want and shit wherever you want, and people still think you’re adorable.”

Butt just snorted in his sleep, and Jaehwan shrugged. He wasn’t going to be able to move without disturbing the animal, so he closed his eyes and let himself rest. The floor was surprisingly comfortable, after all.

“-wan?” Wonshik’s voice floated through Jaehwan’s subconscious.

“Huh?” He blinked, his eyes heavy with sleep. He sat up, causing Butt to tumble away from his side.

“Did you fall asleep?” Wonshik asked gently, a tired smile on his face.

“I didn’t mean to,” Jaehwan yawned and rubbed his eyes. He couldn't believe he fell asleep on the floor with the dog. He was never going to fall asleep later! “When did you get in?”

“Just now,” Wonshik held out a hand to help the older man stand. Jaehwan groaned as he cracked his back loudly. “I called for you but when no one answered I got worried.”

“What, thought I was going to run off?” Jaehwan teased, but his heart wasn’t really in it.

“I mean, I know you aren’t going to stay forever,” Wonshik turned away, but not before Jaehwan caught sight of the nasty bruise on his cheek. “And you came into my life so suddenly… it kinda feels like you’re going to leave just as suddenly, you know?”

“What happened?” Jaehwan rushed forward and cupped Wonshik’s jaw gently, his thumb ghosting over the darkening spot.

“Just a little bit of an accident,” Wonshik laughed but didn’t pull away. “Don’t worry, it’ll be gone by morning.”

“There’s no way a bruise like this will go away overnight,” Jaehwan argued, concerned. He should know. He had suffered more bruises and cuts and burns than any one person should have to. “What happened Wonshik? Did someone hit you?”

“Something like that.” The younger man looked away.

“Who-?”

“It’s nothing important,” Wonshik finally pulled away, going to pick up Butt. His back was purposefully turned to Jaehwan. “Did you eat? I can make some dinner.”

“I-”

“There’s a new show I wanted to start,” Wonshik said quickly, and Jaehwan could hear the forced normalcy in his voice. “We can watch the first episode while we eat.”

“Sounds good…” Jaehwan muttered, not sure why he felt so dejected.

Jaehwan wished he could say he was enjoying the movie, because Wonshik seemed to be enjoying it, but he couldn’t focus on it even if his life depended on it. Instead, his mind was swirling with guilt and regret and anger for whoever hurt the younger man.

They were sitting close - not as close as boyfriends would, but almost. Butt sat between them, sleeping calmly as the movie played. Jaehwan’s knee bumped Wonshik’s as he leaned in a little closer, just enough for their shoulders to touch. He wanted to lean in more, but something was holding him back. He wasn’t sure what it was, but it was if there was something whispering in his ear, telling him not to get any closer. Physically, or emotionally.

He hadn’t had any visions since the bus and the one he repressed, which he thought was odd. Why didn’t he know about Ravi’s attack before it happened? He should have been warned and should have made it back to the city in time, but he didn’t sense anything… Maybe this town was dulling his powers? Maybe he was out of range?

“You alright?” Wonshik’s voice made Jaehwan jump. He hadn’t realized how deep in his thoughts he had been.

“Just thinking.”

“About what?” Wonshik shifted so he was more facing the older man than the television, and something in Jaehwan’s chest fluttered. He liked having Wonshik’s attention.

“Us, I guess,” He answered honestly. Well, partially at least. “About this town… and about how I have to leave at some point.”

“Depressing.”

“Yeah, well it’s been on my mind a lot,” Jaehwan sighed and mentally said ‘fuck it’ before leaning his head on Wonshik’s shoulder and closing his eyes. “It’s like a dream and I’m afraid of waking up back in my cold apartment all alone again.”

“You could just… stay.” Wonshik said, sounding almost hesitant, as if he was scared of how Jaehwan would react to the proposition. Jaehwan stilled for a moment before smiling into Wonshik’s shoulder.

“That would be perfect, but I have responsibilities. I can’t leave forever,” His smile dropped. “I shouldn’t have left them at all, but I did. It would be wrong to abandon them all together.”

“Your boss would understand, especially if you write better here,” Wonshik sounded off for some reason. “If anything, they’d be happy if it meant you could write more, right?”

“I mean, yeah but-”

“But there are others responsibilities.” Wonshik finished for him, smiling sadly. Jaehwan’s stomach dropped.

“Yeah,” He closed his eyes again and nuzzled his nose against Wonshik’s neck, as if the warmth of the younger man could keep away all his fears. “Though staying here would be… a dream come true.”

“Hyung? Can I do something stupid?” Wonshik whispered, his voice barely carrying over the television. Jaehwan nodded and looked up, wondering what Wonshik was asking. His eyes widened in shock when he felt Wonshik’s lips press against his own,

It had been a long time since anyone kissed Jaewhan, which might have added to the fireworks exploding in his chest, but he knew it was more than that. When he pressed forward slightly, he could feel Wonshik’s breath catch against his mouth. The younger man’s hand came up to cup Jaehwan’s cheek, and he let himself get lost in how gentle Wonshik was with him - how careful and soft the touches where, and how meaningful the kisses felt.

“Are you alright?” Wonshik pulled away, looking horrified for a moment. Jaehwan reached up and wiped his cheeks, laughing despite the tears rolling down his face.

“I’m perfect,” He said, kissing the corner of Wonshik’s mouth. “I’m absolutely perfect.”

“I think we’re done with this for now,” Wonshik laughed, wiping Jaehwan’s cheek with one hand and pausing the show with the other. Butt grumbled as he was woken by the two men getting closer to each other. He huffed and hopped off the couch, waddling away from the living room where Jaehwan was suddenly on Wonshik’s lap.

* * *

  
“Wonshik?” Jaehwan called out, wondering where the other man had gone. They had been going to visit one of Woshik’s neighbors, whose husband had recently passed away. The two had made her some dinner, and had just dropped the dishes off with the woman.

It had been Jaehwan’s idea to cut through the park to get home, seeing how it was a beautiful evening and maybe he wanted to extend their trip just a little longer. It had been a lazy day - not that Jaehwan minded one bit - where they woke up in the same bed after a long night of kissing and talking. They laid together until Butt forced them out of bed, and they made lunch together, as well as the meal for the neighbor.

It had been a perfect day, and yet… Jaehwan had a bad feeling in his stomach, as if there was a looming disaster coming closer and closer. His time here had been picturesque - in the nine days he had been there, he managed to get more writing done than ever before. Plus, he was able to spend lazy days with Wonshik, which was even better. He shook his head a little and looked around, knowing the younger man couldn’t have gotten too far. It was a small town after all. There were only so many places to go.

Just as he was about to start getting frustrated, he saw a familiar back turned towards him, kneeling in front of a crying child. Jaehwan’s smile dropped, worry for the boy filling his chest. He knew how important the children of this town were to Wonshik, so seeing one of them upset but be ripping the younger man apart.

“Won-” Just as Jaehwan called over, the unthinkable happened.

Wonshik’s hair changed, right in front of Jaewhan’s eyes. The soft brown morphed into snow white, the soft ends turning into sharp angles. Wonshik didn’t have to turn around for Jaehwan to know he had those awful, angular bangs. His hair morphed again, this time into bright carnation red with an undercut. The boy gasped in wonder and patted Wonshik’s head, his once teary eyes now sparkling.

“No more tears, you hear me?” He asked the boy, who nodded with a smile. “Go find your mom. She must be worried sick.”

“Thank you hyung.” The boy hugged Wonshik before running back towards the playground. Wonshik watched him go, the bright red fading back to the soft brown Jaewhan had come to love so dearly. Wonshik turned and jumped, not expecting Jaehwan to be there.

“Ah, hyung you gave me a heart attack,” He laughed, walking over and reaching out to take the elder’s hand, only to frown when Jaehwan pulled away. “You… you okay?”

“When were you going to tell me?” He asked, his face painfully blank. Of course, he thought to himself. Of course the one person he felt he could trust - the one person that thought he was handsome with the scar and thought he was funny and wanted to get to know the real him - was…

“Tell you what?” Wonshik blinked, his sleepy eyes radiating concern.

“You’re Ravi,” Jaehwan whispered, his stomach twisting. “Oh god, this whole time… you knew, didn’t you? Who I was?”

“I-” Wonshik’s face paled, but when he saw the determined yet heartbroken look in Jaehwan’s eyes, he caved. “I realized it the first day we met. You smiled and I recognized your eyes… I always wondered why you wore a facemask instead of an eye mask.”

He had reached out, as if to caress the scar on Jaehwan’s jaw with his thumb as he had countless times before, but this time the older man pulled back.

“You-”

“I didn’t want you to find out.” Wonshik sounded sad, and it made Jaehwan angry. How dare Wonshik be sad when he had been lying to him the whole time-  
To be fair, Jaehwan had also been lying. He understood he also hid his identity, but he didn’t do it to harm Wonshik. The betrayal and confusion and pain ripped through Jaehwan, and he thought he was going to throw up. He didn’t know what to think anymore.

“Why-?” He couldn’t even finish the question. He turned and ran away from Wonshik, using his powers for the first time since saving Wonshik from the falling knife as he raced back to the house. He threw open the door, much to Butt’s confusion, and quickly packed his things. He couldn’t stay anymore.

Not now that he knew he was in love with a villain.

His vision from the bus made sense now. Ravi was smiling because he was cheering up the boy, because Ravi was Wonshik and Wonshik would do anything for his town.  
Including becoming a villain for their sake.

“Oh god-” Jaehwan choked out, running from the house. He could have sworn he ran past Wonshik, who was racing to the house, but he couldn’t focus. He didn’t bother with a bus back. He just ran and ran and ran until his legs gave out.

He collapsed in the living room of his apartment back in the city. It was cold and dark and in just the nine days he had been gone, a layer of dust had settled on everything.

Jaehwan sobbed, not knowing how to feel or what to do.

He was in love with Wonshik. He couldn’t deny that much. He wanted to move in with the younger man and wake up next to time and make dinner together and walk Butt together and watch Wonshik tell stories in the park forever.

But Wonshik was Ravi.

No wonder he could never see Ravi as a civilian. Not only did he live outside of the city, but he was a damn shapeshifter…

Jaehwan loved Wonshik, but he wasn’t allowed to love Ravi. He was a hero for fuck’s sake! It was the worst sort of blasphemy for a hero and a villain to be together. Not only was it seen as heathenous, children born from villain-hero couples were torn between the two worlds, never fitting in on either side.

Wonshik was a villain.

Sweet, caring, thoughtful Wonshik stole and lied and hurt people to- to what? Jaehwan thought back to the time Wonshik left for the day, only to return to the house with a bruise on his face. Ravi had stolen medical supplies that day…

Jaehwan’s sobs increased.

Wonshik had stolen the medical supplies for the clinic in town, hadn’t he? Jaehwan remembered Wonshik mentioning a boy whose family was having trouble paying for his medication…

Jaehwan fall asleep on his living room floor with a single thought running through his mind.

Who was the real villain? Wonshik, who stole for the sake of his friends? Or the world that made him become a villain to support those he loved?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The first thing I'm posting at my new place! Classes start tomorrow so maybe I'll get my ass in gear to finish GBBD and this fic, but I also have to find a job so maybe not...


	3. Chapter 3

The woman screamed in warning, distracting Ken. He slid to a stop and looked over his shoulder, sweat soaking into the fabric mask over his mouth. The woman was screaming again, pointing at a figure approaching through the smoke.

One of the usual suspects caused a car accident in the middle of the city. Thankfully no one was killed - Ken made sure of it - but there was a good amount of damage done. A fire hydrant was spraying directly up into the air, creating a fine mist as it fell back down to earth, as well as a car that was smoking next to the hydrant.

“You’ve gone too far this time!” Ken called out to the approaching figure. “Petty robberies and minor public damage is one thing, but this crossed so many lines I can’t even count them. What were you trying to accomplish with this-?”

He cut himself off when he saw who was walking through the smoke. It wasn’t the small man who had caused the accident in the first place, with his rat themed villain persona and ability to get on Ken’s nerves.

No, it was someone with snow white hair, whose bangs were cut oddly across his eyes. He was carrying the Rat Man over his shoulder as if he didn’t wear more than five pounds. Ken felt his stomach sink as the two men approached him.

As he got closer, Ken recognized him. He would never be able to forget those eyes. No matter how much he wished he could. After two months, he still couldn’t forget.

“Found this one running away,” Ravi said with a small smile. Ken wanted to scream at him to stop smiling at him like that dammit! But instead, he stayed silent. “I, uh, thought it would make your job easier if I brought him back.”

He didn’t know what to say. He hadn’t known what to say to Wonshik since he realized who he was. He had blocked the younger man’s number after the third day of calls. He took sleeping medication every night to block out the dreams of the other’s soft eyes and his gentle laughter but it never worked. He tried to forget how scared and hurt Wonshik looked the day he left, but he couldn’t.

The sound of police sirens filled the air, the sound giving Ken an idea. He looked up at Ravi, sure the terror and guilt was as plainly written on his face as it was carved into his heart, before speeding away just as the first cop car skidded to a stop.

“Jae-” Ravi yelled, only stopping himself at the last second. He watched the blur that was Jaehwan disappear as the cop told him to raise his hands slowly. Ravi sighed and pushed the Rat Man towards the officer. When the man was focused on catching the smaller villain, Ravi took his chance to change his appearance and slip into the crowd.

* * *

  
“God, I’m so fucking STUPID!” Jaehwan slammed the door to his apartment closed. He didn’t care if he disturbed his neighbors - they never cared when they disturbed him. That had been his CHANCE! His chance to apologize to Wonshik face to face - for running away, and for blocking him, and for being an overall coward.

But he couldn’t do it. Because he was a coward.

“What the fuck is wrong with me?” he whispered, sinking to his knees. Crumbs in the carpet dug into his knees. When was the last time he vacuumed? When was the last time he did any sort of cleaning?

It wasn’t like he had much motivation to clean since getting back to the city. It was too loud and too crowded. He felt suffocated in the place he once - very recently - considered his home. Now that he had time to do anything even if he had motivation to do said things. He made the decision to start an entirely new story as soon as he made it back to his dingy apartment.

He had opened the file he had been working on at Wonshik’s and instantly closed it again. He couldn’t even read the first sentence without his chest burning.

“Why couldn’t I just say sorry?” Jaehwan asked no one, falling sideways onto the ground. His apartment was too quiet, despite the noise coming from just outside the window.

He somehow managed to get used to the sounds of… life. The sounds of Butt scratching at the door to go out and the birds chirping and Wonshik shuffling around, talking to Butt as if the small dog would respond.

Jaehwan remembered how he overheard Wonshik asking Butt which tie looked best with his shirt. He had gone into the younger man’s room and saw him holding up two equally as hideous ties, which confused Jaehwan because he knew Wonshik owned several not-ugly ties. Both he and Butt chose the one with the red lobsters that day.

Jaehwan sat up and rested his back against the couch, pulling his knees to his chest. His body hurt. Badly. There had been a lot of crime recently, and he had been using his powers almost every single day. On top of that, he couldn’t sleep - every time he closed his eyes he realized his sheets were too scratchy and they smelled wrong and it wasn’t the right bed. Wasn’t the right house.

He hated how easily he fell for Wonshik. He had only been there for a few days, and yet he was a mess two months later. What was wrong with him? He had never been in love like this before, and it scared him.

A few tears slipped passed closed eyes. He sighed. It was going to be another long night. His phone went off and he hated how his head shot up instantly. He knew it wasn’t him, but his heart still lept.

It was his editor, asking where the next part of the story was. Jaehwan was supposed to have submitted it two nights ago, but he hadn’t even started it yet. He texted her and said it would be in by the end of the week. She said it better be, or his contract would be void. Jaehwan dropped his phone on the carpet and rested his forehead on his knees.

God, he was supposed to be an adult. Why couldn’t he do anything right? Everything hurt, and no amount of painkillers could help. Why did he become a hero? What good could he actually do in the world? He was just one person in one city. He was nothing compared to the grand scheme of things. He was nothing. His own powers caused him to much pain he could feel himself losing consciousness.

Maybe he’d just take a small nap. He was so tired he thought he could cry again. His breathing started to steady, head still resting on his knees and his back against the second hand couch.

* * *

  
“That’s far enough,” Jaehwan said, holding his hand out. The man - the boy - in front of him froze, bag of stolen goods clutched in small hands. How young was this kid, Ken asked himself. Stature wise, he looked to be about fifteen, but his face was obscured by an obviously hand made mask. “Just hand over the bag and we can pretend this never happened-”

“I-I can’t,” He said, his voice cracking. So younger than fifteen, Ken realized. His heart clenched painfully. So young… “My mom… she’s sick, and the hospital kicked her out because she couldn’t afford the r-room-”

“How old are you kid?” Ken asked, suddenly feeling exhausted. The boy hesitated, his glassy eyes staring at the hero from behind his mask.

“I turn thirteen next month,” He whispered, his shoulders slumping. “I want my mom to be there to celebrate with m-me…” He started crying, his tears instantly soaking into the fabric of the mask.

Suddenly, Jaehwan was looking at someone entirely else. A taller man, smiling and giving to a town that depended on him after the rest of the world turned its back on them. The vision of Wonshik vanished, replaced with the boy. He was shaking and sobbing lightly, holding the bag protective against his thin chest.

“Do you know someone by the name of Ravi?” Ken asked, unsure where he was going with his question. The boy shook his head. “Go to the next town over and find the man telling stories in the park. Tell him what’s going on. He’ll help you.”

“What-?”

“Go to him and don’t steal again, and I’ll pretend this never happened.”

“What does he look like?” The boy still stood tensed, but there was something different in the look he shared with Ken.

“You’ll know him when you see him,” He thought back to the first time he was Wonshik - how his eyes sparkled as he wove tales to the children gathered just for him. “He’s… he’s… he’ll be in the park, by the gazebo. Everyday around four.”

“What makes you think he’ll help me?” there was an edge to the boy’s voice.

“Because he’s a good person,” The words were past Ken’s lips before he knew what he was saying. “And… and because he’d never let someone in need go without it. I can’t help you anymore than this, but he can. He doesn’t follow the same rules I do.”

“Why are you helping me?”

“On your birthday, make sure to give your mom a big piece of cake, alright?” He refused to cry. He refused to think of his own birthdays, where his own mother wouldn’t touch the cake because of her diet but how happy he was just to have her and his father in the same room for more than ten minutes. “Make sure she knows how much you love her.”

“I-”

“And no more stealing,” he said firmly, blinking back tears. “I won’t be able to save your ass like this again, you hear?”

“Thank you,” The boy bowed, his tears still flowing freely. “Thank you-”

“Just go before the cops show up and start asking questions,” Ken said, waving the boy off. He looked between the drug store he just robbed and the hero before sprinting off through an alley. “Shit, I probably should have taken the bag.” He mused to himself as he left the scene of the crime. He was suddenly exhausted.

* * *

  
Jaehwan thought he was going to put his fist through the screen of his laptop. He had finally sat down to write the chapter that was long past due and his computer died. He lost all his progress because he was a dumbass and didn’t save, and now it was all gone.

He closed his eyes and pressed his fingers against the lids, not wanting to have a breakdown in public. Maybe if he found an outlet for his charger, he’d be able to turn it on and recover at least part of the file. Even part was better than nothing.

Jaehwan plugged his computer in but was afraid to turn it back on. If the file really was gone, he didn’t want to see it just yet. The longer he put it off, the longer he could pretend everything was fine - the longer he could avoid reality.

So he did the one thing he could think of to waste time. He went to the bathroom as he waited for his computer to charge a little bit. He didn’t know if it actually did anything, but he felt better letting it rest a little before turning it back on.

Looking at himself in the mirror, Jaehwan wondered how things ended up the way they did. His eyes glanced over the scar on his chin, almost as if it wasn’t there at all. He was so used to it - he used to stare at himself for hours, trying to figure out if he was even real - that he barely noticed it when he was alone, but the second he was around others it was the only thing on his mind.

The only person that Jaehwan never thought about his scar around was…

He shook his head and flicked the extra water off his hands before running them down his face, the water refreshing him a little. He grabbed a paper towel and dried his hands the rest of the way before leaving the bathroom.

And the memory of Wonshik.

Jaehwan blinked, confused as he approached his table. His things were right where he left them, as expected. What wasn’t expected, however, was a large iced latte and a danish on matching clay-ware on the table next to his closed computer.

“Oh, a customer ordered those for you Wannie,” the barista said easily, taking an order at the same time. He and Jaehwan were… well, they weren’t friends per say, but they were acquaintances at least. “Told me to tell you to take care of yourself. You never told me you got a boyfriend! And he was so handsome!”

“What.. what did he look like?” it was like all the breath had been knocked out of Jaehwan’s chest with a single, painful blow.

“He’s your boyfriend,” The barista scoffed a little but continued nonetheless. “He was taller than me, so maybe your height. Had sleepy eyes and a straight nose and a small dog with him.”

“Wonshik…” Jaehwan breathed, feeling his eyes sting.

“Are you guys… having a fight or something?” All the mirth left the barista’s eyes. Jaehwan sat down heavily and took a sip of the coffee. It was sweet and cold, just the way he liked it.

“Or something.” Jaehwan muttered, opening his laptop and bringing up the file he had been working on. Thankfully, it seemed only the last paragraph or two were missing, thanks to autosave. Jaehwan bit into the pastry mindlessly as he scanned the words, trying to pretend the taste of the icing and fruit didn’t make him think of sharing the exact same type of sweet with Wonshik, back in the small cafe in the small town he had been trying to forget about.

Jaehwan pretended there weren’t tears splashing onto the table as he wrote. He was thankful those around pretended along with him.

* * *

  
“Ravi… we meet again.” Ken refused to look at the younger man in the eye.

“It’s been a while Ken.” Ravi sounded… strained.

“I-” Whatever retort was going to come out of Ken’s mouth died instantly on his tongue. He couldn’t do it. He couldn’t banter with Wonshik as if nothing happened.

As if he hadn’t been the world’s most pathetic coward, holding himself up in his apartment and spending more time coming up with excuses for his editor than stories like he was supposed to. He couldn’t even bring himself to think about pretending everything was alright anymore.

“Are… you alright?” Ravi asked hesitantly, noticing how Ken had frozen completely.

“Maybe I’m not cut out to be a hero,” Ken whispered, looking at his hands. There was a new scar along the back of the right one from where he punched a hole in a wall and the plaster slit his skin like paper. It hurt, but it was something he was able to feel. “I did something really bad, to someone who didn’t deserve it. That makes me a villain, right?”

“You couldn’t be a villain if you tried.” Ravi took a small step forward. There was no one around them. The park was completely deserted, as if they were in a liminal space where the rules of reality didn’t exist. Maybe that’s why Ken couldn’t stop talking.

“You’d be surprised,” He chuckled, but it wasn’t light and fun. It was sharp and bitter. The sound made Ravi frown. “I hurt someone I cared about...so much… I think I might have even loved him, but I hurt him because I’m nothing but a coward-”

“You’re not a coward-”

“I ran away,” Ken hiccuped a little. “I ran away without listening to anything he had to say. I blocked his number because I was too scared to hear his voice. I pretended I never met him and it’s been driving me insane because I don’t want to forget. I don’t want to forget him but I have to because- because nothing good would come from our relationship.”

“You don’t know that-”

“I’m bad for him,” Ken laughed humorlessly. “I… he deserves someone so much better than me… Before I knew who he was, I would beat him up. It sounds like some shitty high school movie but it’s true. He would be robbing something and I wouldn’t even hesitate to throw him against a wall, or to punch him, or hurt him somehow. I always thought I was right. I was the hero and he was the villain. He was stealing and I was upholding the law… but what do you do when the laws are fucked up and the villains are doing more good than the heroes?”

“Jaehwan…” Ravi whispered, just loud enough for the older man to hear him.

“What am I even doing here?” he asked, lacing his fingers through his hair and tugging. The pain was sharp, but he welcomed the pain. At least it dulled the constant battle in his chest for a moment. “Why am I here? Why am I a hero? I don’t- I don’t want this anymore.”

“You can stop,” Ravi whispered, taking another step forward. “You can come… you can come home-”

“Don’t,” He cut Ravi off, his voice cold. “Don’t call it home… It’s not my home. It never was.”

“But-”

“I pray we don’t run into each other again, Ravi,” Ken whispered, his voice level despite his heart breaking with every word. “For both our sakes.”

“Jaehwan-!” His name echoed through the empty park. Ken was already gone - all that hinted at his presence was a slight rustling of the leaves where he had been. “God damnit hyung, why won’t you let yourself be happy?”

* * *

  
“You’re new here.” A voice said suddenly. Jaehwan looked up quickly and instantly regretted it. The room spun and he placed his forehead back down on the sticky bar.

“What gave me away?” he asked, his words slurring slightly.

“Well, for starters I own this bar and I’m fairly confident in my ability to recognize a face,” The voice said, a hint of a smile playing on his voice. “Secondly, no regular will let Sanghyuk make their drink more than once. Everyone knows he has a heavy pour, and no one wants alcohol poisoning. Except you, it seems.”

“Does alcohol poisoning cost extra here or does it come with the appetizers?” Jaehwan lifted his head to briefly look at the man he was talking to. He was gorgeous, with tanned skin and sharp eyes, turned sharper with the soft grin on his face.

“You’re funny,” The man said abruptly. “I like you. Bin! Bring over some fries. Hyukkie, a glass of water please?”

“You know, I didn’t even know this bar was here until I tripped over the bench out front,” Jaehwan slurred, contemplating if he could stomach the last sip of his drink without throwing everything back up. “I wish I had found it sooner. The drinks are good here.”

“You didn’t find us,” The man said easily, replacing the glass with a sip of warming whisky for one with cold water. “We found you.”

“Huh?” Jaehwan wasn’t sure what he was more confused about - the man’s words or why there was suddenly a cold drink in his hand.

“This isn’t just any bar,” The man laughed, as if Jaehwan had told another joke. At least, Jaehwan didn’t think he had. Everything was a blur. “It had powers of its own… it appears to those who need it most.”

“Sure it does.” Jaehwan muttered, sipping at his water. He had never tasted water so crisp and refreshing before.

“Everyone in this bar is here for a reason,” The man continued, not deterred by Jaehwan’s attitude. “They were either looking for a safe place, or a family, or an answer.”

“Why are you here then?” Jaehwan asked. The man blinked, clearly taken off guard.

“I… no one’s ever asked me that before.” he muttered, looking over to the other boy behind the bar. He was tall with brown hair and a roundish nose. Jaehwan guessed that he was Sanghyuk, seeing how he had been the one serving him drinks all night.

“Here are those fries Hakyeon hyung,” Another young man came over. He looked younger than Jaehwan, with a bored look on his handsome face.

“Thanks Hongbinnie,” Hakyeon smiled. “Have you taken your break yet?”

“I was going to now.”

“Good, make sure you eat too.”

“Yes mom.” Hongbin rolled his eyes, just Jaehwan could hear the fondness in his voice, even through his drunken haze.

“Why am I here?” Hakyeon asked himself, taking a fry before pushing the cardboard boat towards Jaehwan. The smell of fried food made his stomach roll but he happily munched on them anyway. “Well, I suppose I’m here to give other supers something I never really had… or I guess I’m here to keep someone’s memory alive.”

“Oh?”

“His name was Taekwoon,” Hakyeon said, his voice small. “He… he was an amazing person. If he had had a place like this back then, maybe he’d still be here.”

“I’m sorry.” Jaehwan didn’t know what to say.

“It’s alright, it was years ago,” Hakyeon chuckled, gesturing for Jaehwan to eat more. “I barely remember what happened.”

“I’m still sorry…” Jaehwan pouted a little, biting into a fry.

“Lee Jaehwan, what brings you into my bar?” Hakyeon asked, his eyes glowing faintly.

“I don’t know,” he answered honestly. “I just wanted to forget, I guess.”

“Did you want to forget, or did you want to escape your own guilt?”

“Both.”

“Why are you guilty?”

“I ran away,” Jaehwan shifted in his seat, his ass starting to go numb from sitting for so long. “I ran away from Shikkie because I was a coward and now I’m running away from him again because he deserves the world and I’m just- just an asshole pretending to be a hero.”

“You know, being a hero doesn’t mean saving the world,” Hakyeon murmured, his eyes glowing brighter. Jaehwan suddenly felt even more tired. “Sometimes it means saving just one person.”

“I want to save everyone though…”

“If you’re saving everyone else, who’s going to save you?”

“Huh?” Jaehwan blinked up at Hakyeon, who smiled warmly down at him.

“You deserve a happy ending just as much as they do,” he said, wiping a tear away with a thumb. “Look deep in your soul. You know what’s truly right and wrong. Don’t let society brainwash you into thinking you have to follow one path. There’s so many paths open to you Jaehwan.”

“How do you know my name…?” Jaehwan asked, his eyes slipping shut.

“I know a lot of things Ken,” Hakyeon ran his fingers through Jaehwan’s bangs as he fell asleep. “I know you have a tough decision ahead of you, and I know you’re going to make the right choice.”

“How will I know it’s the right choice?” He could barely keep his head up.

“You’ll know.” Hakyeon’s eyes flashed, and Jaehwan was asleep.

* * *

  
Jaehwan slowly woke up, his head pounding as if he had been hit by a bus that had then backed up and hit him again.

“What the actual fuck did I do last night?” He asked, sitting up in bed. It was his room alright, but something seemed off… He looked around, his eyes feeling like they were going to pop right out of his skull if he didn’t get some painkillers that instant-

He looked at his bedside table and saw four little white pills resting next to an unopened water bottle. He blinked, almost completely certain drunk him wouldn’t have been able to set out painkillers and water for hung over him. Jaehwan threw back the pills and decided a nice shower would help. Something was off with his bathroom too, but he couldn’t quite put his finger on it as he washed the scent of alcohol and smoke from his skin. After his shower, his head was feeling much better but his body ached still.

“Just a little nap.” He muttered before falling face first onto his bed, towel still wrapped around his waist.

The second time Jaehwan woke up, he felt much better. His stomach was still a little sour, but overall he only felt like the usual amount of dead. He looked around, his eyebrows furrowing when he realized what was wrong with his room.

Someone had… cleaned it?

Now, he KNEW drunk Jaehwan wouldn’t have been able to clean his room without making things worse. He got dressed, made his way to the bathroom and realized that was cleaned too. There was even a fresh towel hanging by the sink. Jaehwan had never been this confused in his entire life. If someone had broken in, why would they have cleaned?

“Oh you’re up,” Hakyeon said as Jaehwan wandered into the kitchen. “I’m making breakfast!”

“Jesus FUCK-” Jaehwan screeched, his voice going up several octives in shock.

“Good morning to you too,” He grinned and pulled one of the chairs out with a single hand. “Hope you like pancakes.”

“Pancakes?” Jaehwan mumbled, not sure what was going on. “What time is it?”

“Two in the afternoon,” Hakyeon said cheerily as he all but danced around the kitchen. “I knew you’d be waking up soon and figured I’d stop by and surprise you.”

“How did you know where I live?” Jaehwan rubbed his eyes and yawned wide.

“Like I said last night. I know a lot of things Jaehwan.”

“So you have, what? Mind reading?” Jaehwan wasn’t really in the mood for guessing games at the moment.

“More like the ability to see through time,” Hakyeon flipped a pancake. “I can see forward, backward, side to side-”

“Side to side?”

“I can see what might have been, if things had turned out differently,” He placed a plate on the table. “I can see alternate realities and how those timelines would have gone if they had ended up being our own.”

“Must be confusing.” Jaehwan didn’t hesitate to start shoveling the syrup coated bites into his mouth.

“Usually it is. That’s why I like to stay at the bar,” Hakyeon made himself a plate and sat across from the younger man. “My mind is clearer there… I like to think it’s Taekwoon keeping me sane.”

“What happened to him? If you don’t mind me asking…” He instantly felt bad. It wasn’t his place to pry. Fortunately, Hakyeon didn’t seem upset at the questioning.

“Taekwoon… he was the only person that made my thoughts calm,” he started, cutting his pancakes with ease. “Without him, I would be seeing so many different futures and pasts and alternate realities all at once and I couldn’t tell what was real and what wasn’t. When I was with him, I could focus on what was happening in front of me. I could look into the future or the past or whichever reality I wanted without getting lost. Unfortunately, the day he died I wasn’t with him. I was overwhelmed with visions of all the different timelines, and there wasn’t a single one where he survived. Fate had brought us together, and she took him away from me when it was his time to go. Sometimes I joke that he’s the one that gives the bar it’s powers, but sometimes… sometimes I think maybe it is him, watching over us all still.”

“He sounds amazing.” Jaehwan muttered, looking at his almost empty plate.

“He was, and he’s the reason I wanted to use my powers to help others,” Hakyeon ate as he spoke, as if they were just discussing the weather. “I found Sanghyuk and Hongbin in bad situations. Binnie was being abused by his father for having powers and Hyukkie was being exploited for his. I managed to get them out, and they live with me now.”

“That’s… amazing.”

“Jaehwan, I knew you were going to come into my bar last night,” Hakyeon, for the first time, sounded completely serious. “I saw you a few days ago, in a vision. I tried looked in all realities to find the best outcome, and there’s only one that will end happily for everyone.”

“What… what’s my ending supposed to be?” Jaehwan was almost afraid to ask. Hakyeon looked at him with sad eyes before sitting back in his chair a little.

“The most likely outcome is you committing suicide,” Hakyeon said sadly, not breaking eye contact with Jaehwan. “You end up killing yourself in fourteen different realities. You only live in four.”

“Oh…” It felt like the wind had been knocked out of him. Sure, he had thought about not existing anymore - especially after Wonshik - but hearing confirmation that he would eventually give in and do it… that was another story. “Why… why are you helping me?”

“Because you remind me a lot of Taekwoon, honestly,” Hakyeon smiled sadly. “He wanted to save the world, but there was only one of him, and that’s what was his downfall in the end.”

“Sounds like there’s not much hope for me then.” Jaehwan slumped in his seat a little.

“There IS hope though,” Hakyeon gave Jaehwan a small smile. “Do you remember what I said last night? Before you passed out?”

“Uh…” Jaehwan had to think hard. “Something about my soul knowing right from wrong?”

“Close, but that’s enough,” Hakyeon’s smile grew. “Now, I’m going to give you an idea. You don’t have to follow it - what you do is entirely your own choice. That’s why there are so many realities, Jaehwan. Because our choices really do make a difference.”

“What’s your idea?”

“Well…” Hakyeon’s eyes glinted as he smiled again.

* * *

  
“There was once a man that stood for justice in ways that no one truely understood,” Jaehwan sat on the steps of the gazebo, smiling at the children that had began to gather in their usual spots. “He stole, and lied and broke the law, but he did it for a noble cause. One day, a hero came by and tried to stop him. The hero fought with everything he had, but the man just took it. He let the hero hit him without so much as raising a hand to stop it. The hero didn’t notice though. All he noticed was that he stopped the bad guy. But he wasn’t a bad guy. The next time he ran into the hero, he was stopped again, but this time something distracted the hero, and he was able to get away with the goods he had stolen. He brought them to the hospital, where the doctors were able to use the stolen medicine to save countless lives”

Wonshik froze, recognizing the voice instantly. He hadn’t spoken to Jaehwan since the night in the park. He hadn’t even been to the city since then, despite the town needing supplies and funding. He just… couldn’t do it. Couldn’t bring himself to potentially face the other man after everything that had happened.

“He continued on like this, stealing money and food and medicine and bringing it back to the people who needed it. He didn’t care that people labeled him a bad guy. He didn’t care that he was called a villain, because deep down he knew he was doing what he needed to do. He wasn’t a villain, or a hero. He was doing the right thing.”

Butt pulled at his leash, wanting to run to Jaehwan. The dog’s ears immediately perked up when he heard the familiar voice, but Wonshik’s grip on the lead was too tight. Butt nudged Wonshik’s shin with his nose, but his human was staring at Jaehwan.

“One day, the Hero ran into a strange man, who told his future,” Jaehwan smiled as the kids oohed and aahed. “He told the hero that there was only one path he could take to secure his happy ending.The hero was skeptic, but he was also heartbroken. You see, the hero had fallen in love with the ‘villain’ even though he wasn’t supposed to. He fell in love, and tried to suppress it even though it hurt them both. The hero decided he was tired of being scared, and went to confront the villain.”

Wonshik could feel his feet moving before he realized what he was doing. He stepped up into the gazebo from the back set of stairs and stopped just feet from Jaehwan. The older man didn’t turn around - Wonshik wasn’t sure if he even knew he was there.

“The hero went to find the villain. He went to the town where the villain lived and practiced what he would say for hours and hours. When he finally found the villain, the hero’s chest felt so full he thought it was going to burst. He turned to the villain and said,” Jaehwan turned his body so he could see Wonshik, who froze. “He said he was sorry, for ever putting the villain through all that. He said he was sorry for every thinking the other was a villain to start with, because the man was never a villain. He did what was right, even if the law said it was wrong because he knew deep down that he needed to help others.”

“What did the villain say?” Wonshik asked, his voice cracking. His throat was suddenly so dry he didn’t think he could speak another word. Jaehwan looked him in the eyes, as if he was trying to see into Wonshik’s very soul before turning back to the kids.

“I don’t know what the villain said,” he answered honestly. “The story isn’t over yet. The ending hasn’t happened.”

“But I want to know if they kiss!” A little girl in the front pouted.

“Maybe one day I’ll come back and finish the story,” Jaehwan grinned down at the girl, who’s pout instantly turned into a bright smile. “If the ending is happy.”

“It better be!” Another child called out. The parents began collecting their children, ushering them away from the gazebo. They recognized Jaehwan, and it didn’t slip past their notice that the newcomer had been missing from their small town recently. They also didn’t miss how Jaehwan and Wonshik were looking at each other.

They stood in silence for a while, only the sounds of the town filling the air. Butt barked happily, his little nub of a tail wagging excitedly as he tugged on his leash. Finally Jaehwan took a step forward and knelt down to greet the dog, who was more than happy to clean Jaehwan’s whole face for him.

“Long time no see little guy.” He said quietly, scratching behind Butt’s ear just the way he liked it.

“Jaehwan…” Wonshik was at a loss for words. He wanted to ask so many questions - why was he here? What did he want? Why was he tormenting Wonshik more? - but they died in his throat at Jaehwan looked up at him.

“Wonshik… I needed to apologize. For real this time,” Jaehwan stood with an awkward chuckle. Wonshik could see how tense the older man was, and he didn’t like it. He liked it when Jaehwan was comfortable and laughing like he didn’t have a care in the world. This Jaehwan radiated tension and it made Wonshik upset. “I shouldn’t have run away when I realized who you were, but I was scared. I shouldn’t have blocked our number but I was guilty… I shouldn’t have done a lot of things, huh?” He looked up with a small smile, but Wonshik could tell he was just trying to use humor to deflect. Again.

“Apology accepted,” Wonshik said softly, as if talking to a scared animal. Jaehwan blinked, his smile dropping and an unnamed emotion flashing across his face. “I forgave you the second you ran away, you know. I could never hate you for anything.”

“Wonshik I…” He hesitated again. He wanted to tell Wonshik what happened at the bar, but it sounded insane to him and he was actually there! Though the younger man was a storyteller… maybe he’d actually believe Jaehwan. “Can I tell you a story?”

“What sort of story?” Wonshik moved to sit on the steps of the gazebo. Jaehwan hesitated only a moment before sitting next to him, their knees almost - but not quite - touching.

“It starts with an asshole that went into a shady bar that he absolutely swears wasn’t there before…” he started with a soft smile. If either of them noticed how they sat a little closer together as the story went on, neither mentioned it.

* * *

  
“Are you sure you want to do this?” Ravi asked nervously. Out of all the situations he thought might happen with Jaehwan, this wasn’t even on the list. After the older hero came to the town and took his job as a storyteller, he told Wonshik about a magic bar and a man that could see all realities.  
Wonshik would have thought he was crazy if he hadn’t met Hakyeon himself a few years back.

“Ready as I’ll ever be.” Jaehwan sounded nervous, but it understandable. This was his first heist after all.

“You don’t have to do this for me-”

“I want to,” Jaehwan cut him off, his voice stronger than it had been all day. “Like I said. Being a hero meant following laws that didn’t do any good. You were right all along. I can’t believe it took a magic man in a magic bar to make me realize that.”

“Alright then, what’s the plan?” Wonshik asked with a smirk. When Jaehwan declared he wanted to work with Wonshik and help steal to support the town, his jaw dropped. But it wasn’t just the town he wanted to help, he continued. There were people in his own city that were starving and dying because they didn’t have the supplies they needed, and Jaehwan wasn’t going to let another kid turn to crime to support his family if he could help them.

“The guard will leave in three minutes and twelve seconds. We have a four minute gap between when he closes the bathroom door and when he comes back out. I can slip in and start grabbing the money when you change to look like another guard. He’ll come out, see you in uniform and assume he’s been relieved. He’ll wave and go home, none the wiser what’s happening.”

“Having future sight is really helpful.” Ravi chuckled, already shifting his appearance.

“I’d say,” Ken giggled a little and slipped his mask down. “Wonnie, look at me for a second?”

Wonshik looked back, confused, only to melt when he felt Jaehwan’s lips pressed against his own briefly. Jaehwan winked as he slipped the mask back up and got into position. He blew Ravi an exaggerated kiss through the mask as the guard started to walk away and disappeared down the hall to the vault.

Ravi shook his head - with a grin, of course - and got into place. A week ago, if you had told him this would be happening, he’d probably laugh. Now? Now he knew better. In the five days since Jaehwan had come to find him, everything had changed. The older man had broke his lease and moved in. They bought a comforter set together. They fell asleep on the couch, wrapped around each other and Butt halfway between their laps.

And now they robbed banks together.

Ravi bit back a wider grin. He couldn’t wait to see the headlines.

FORMER HERO KEN SEEN STEALING.  
HERO TURNED VILLAIN - THE ULTIMATE BETRAYAL.  
HOSPITAL GIVEN THOUSANDS IN ANONYMOUS DONATION.  
ORPHANAGE SURPRISED WITH CHRISTMAS PRESENTS.  
LOCAL FAMILY ABLE TO PAY OFF DEBT DUE TO KIND DONOR.  
KIND MYSTERY HEROES BRING LIFE SAVING MEDICINE TO SMALL TOWN.

* * *

  
“Ready?” Jaehwan asked with a mischievous smile.

“What are we doing?” Wonshik asked. They hadn’t planned on going on any missions that week, especially since hero’s have been popping up left and right to take Ken’s open slot. Instead, they were enjoying a few days at home together.

“Come here and find out.” Jaehwan called from the living room. Wonshik picked Butt up and followed his boyfriend’s giggle, only to have his jaw drop at the sight before him.

“How long did this take?” He asked, crawling into the blanket fort that now covered almost the entire room.

“Not too long,” Jaehwan instantly sat in Wonshik’s lap. “Super speed, remember?”

“Oh yeah,” Wonshik grinned as he kissed Jaehwan. “Perks of dating a superhero.”

“Perks of dating a genius mastermind villain, you mean.”

“You couldn’t be a villain if you tried.” Wonshik laughed and wrapped his arms around Jaehwan’s waist, ignoring Butt’s whine from being ignored too long.

“Hey! I’m a big scary villain now! Fear me!” Jaehwan pouted, trying - not all that hard - to wiggle from Wonshik’s arms. The younger man just laughed and kissed down his boyfriend’s neck, instantly shutting off the second wave of whining from him.

“Ah, Wonshik-” Jaehwan sighed, melting into the touch.

“Did you have any special plans for this fort or…?”

“Hmm just wanted to spend time with you.” Jaehwan smiled as Wonshik connected their lips softly - just a gentle kiss.

“You wanna go shopping with me later?” Wonshik asked, savoring the feeling of Jaehwan’s heartbeat against his own chest. “We can pick up stuff for cookies.”

“You know, I always used to dread going grocery shopping but now it’s fun,” Jaehwan twisted so he was stradling Wonshik and rested his forehead against the younger man’s.

“Now it’s a lot of fun… I don’t know what you did to make it fun but…”

“Wanna take a nap before we go?” Wonshik asked, peppering his boyfriend’s face in kisses. Jaehwan wrinkled his nose a little and smiled, the grin going from innocent to devilish in the blink of an eye.

“You know, there’s a lot you can do in a blanket fort.” He said, looking away almost innocently, and Wonshik might have believed that innocence if he didn’t see a silver square - or four - peeking out from under one of the many pillows.

“You’re an idiot.” Wonshik laughed as he pulled Jaehwan into another, more heated kiss. The older man pulled away for a second to press a softer kiss to Wonshik’s nose.

“I’m your idiot though, and that’s what matters.” He said easily but the words made Wonshik’s heart jump.

“Yeah, you’re mine.” He whispered, and he was determined to make sure everyone knew it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really liked how this came out :') I guess i just miss Vixx a whole lot

**Author's Note:**

> This is going to be updated sporadically, in between Good Dogs Don't Bite chapters, because sometimes I need a change of pace XD 
> 
> Hopefully it won't be too long between updates, but my main focus rn is GDDB so this one is going to be put on the back burner. I just really needed a change of scenery and wanted to get the first chapter up ASAP


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